Electrical connector



2,933,712 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Emmett P. Klopfenstein, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to The Deutsch Company, a corporation of California Application April 16, 1957, Serial No. 653,184

3 Claims. (Cl. 339-91) The invention relates to electrical connectors of the type composed of a pair of separable sections and embodying manually engageable means for locking the sections in attached position and for effecting their detachment.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector of the character described in which a simple, single action and straight pushing operation is all that is required to eifect the attachment and'to obtain an automatic locking of the sections in attached position, and conversely, a simple, single action and straight pulling operation is all that is required to effect the unlocking and separation of the sections, thus making the connector well suited and particularly useful for crowded, relatively inaccessible, yblind and ballistic installations Where space is at a premium and where lock-wiring or twisting or threading together of the sections is impossible or highly impracticable.

Another object of the present invention lis to provide an electrical connector of the character above wherein the parts are designed and cofunction in a manner facilitating miniaturization while at the same time obtaining a sealed or environmental-proof construction, positive locking and quick detachment, and reliable, foolproof operation.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following descriptions of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that Variations in the showing made by the said drawings and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawings:

Figure 1 is a partly exploded view in elevation and cross-section of an electrical connector constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is au end View of one of the sections taken from the position indicated -by line 2-2 in Figure l.

Figure 3 is `an end view of the other section taken from the position indicated by line 3--3 of Figure 1.

States Patent Figure 4'is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of one of the sections and is taken substantially on the plane of line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of the same section as depicted in Figure 4 but taken substantially on the plane of line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectionalV 2,933,712 Patented Apr. 19, 1960 ICC The electrical connector of the present invention consists, briefly, of a pair of attachable sections 6 and 7, a displaceable section-locking detent S and a pair of displaceable operating members 11 and` l12 therefor respectively, biased to section-locking and section-releasing positions, member 12 functioning in section-releasing position -to hold member 11 in a cocked position as seen in Figures l and 4, and being engaged and displaced by the sections 6 and 7 on attachment to release member 11 for movement to section-locking position, thus automatically effecting a locked connection between the sections on effecting their attachment. Unlocking of the sections is here effected by manual displacement of member 11 which is mounted exteriorly on section 6 for this purpose. Member lll functions in a section-locking position, as seen in Figure 6, to hold member 12 in a cocked position and is manually engageable to its cocked position, as seen in Figure 4, and in which position it functions to release member 12 for movement to sectionreleasing posit-ion, as seen in Figure 4. In this manner the two operating members 11 and 12 are coupled for --interdependent positioning, viz.,

Member 11 Member 12 Detent 8 Cocked Released Section-releasing Released Cooked Section-locking As a particularly important feature of the present invention, the attachment and automatic locking of the sections on the one hand and their unlocking and detachment on the other are accomplished by simple, single action,straight pushing and pulling operations. This is accomplished by forming the sections 6`and 7 for engagement and relative axial reciprocation for effecting their attachment and detachment, biasing the operating members 11 and 12 in the direction of attachment and detachment of Ithe sections, respectively, and forming member 12 for engagement by the sections on attachment and displacement against its bias to a cocked position, thus functioning in cooperation with the coupled interdependent positioning of member 11 as above described, to effect the automatic release of member 1'1 from its cocked position to a section-locking position, this operation being effected by Ithe mere pushing of the sections together. Conversely, member 11, being normally biased in a section-attaching direction, is manually engageable and displaceable in an opposite or sectiondetaching direction to effect the release of member '12 for movement under its bias to displace the detent 8 to section-releasing position. Thus in order to effect a detachment of the sections it is only necessary to manually engage section 11 and effect a simple longitudinal pull which functions first to unlock the sections as above described and then to separate the sections. This simple, single action, straight axial push-pull operation to connect and automatically lock the sections and to eiect their instant disconnection renders the connector ideally suited for crowded relatively inaccessible and blind installations where space is at a premium and the connector is positioned behind other parts or within bulkheads orv other partial enclosures, and where under such circumstances threading or twisting of the sections together is quite impracticable and lock-wiring of the sections as is sometimes customary is virtually impossible. The simple straight pulling operation on member 11 to effect the unlocking and instant separation of the sections renders the connector well suited for ballistic installations where a lanyard may be connected to member 11.

In keeping Wtih the foregoing, sections 6 and 7 are here formed for telescopic engagement with section7.y providing an annular Wall 16 provided by member 7,-

and members 11 and 12 are formed as concentric axially reciprocating external and internal sleeves which are cal'- 3 ried by wall 13, sleeve 12 thus being positioned for engagement, and displacement by the end portion 14 of section 7 on attachment of the sections.

The detent 8 is here formed as a ball mounted'in `anV opening 17 extending radially through the wall 13, the ball Shaving a diameter somewhat greater thanthe thickness of the wall so as to protrude Vinternally therefrom, as seen in Figure 6, for interlocking engagement; in arecess 18 formed in the outer periphery of wall 16.

The members 11 and 12 are mounted for axial reciprocation across openingy 17 for respectively displacing the detent internally into its locking position as described` and externally, as seen in' Figure 4, into a section-releasing position. member 12 is formed with an aperture 19 which may be moved into registration with opening 17 and which is dimensioned when in such registration to permit the production of the ball detent therethrough to its sectionlocking position. This position of sleeve 12 corresponds :20

with its cocked position, and as above noted it is biased for movement to a released position, as seen in Figure 4, wherein the sleeve covers the under side of the opening 17 and displaces the ball 8 outwardly to what has been denoted as a section-releasing position. This outward movement of the detent 8 is'accommodated by the outer sleeve member 11 by the provision in the latter of a recess 21 into which the ball 8 may extend when the member 11 is pulled back against its bias, as seen in Figure 4. Portion 22 of thesleeve member 1'1 contiguous to recess 21 has a chamfered face 23 dening one end of. the recess and thus serves as a cam acting under the afore mentioned bias to urge ball S inwardly to its locked l' position under the portion 22 when the ball is released for such movement by the displacement of the inner sleeve 12 to register its aperture 19 with opening 17.

in order to best accomplish its intended function, sleeve 12 is quite thin and is mounted within wall 13 for axial reciprocation to and from an internal shoulder 26 here formed on the end of wall 13. The sleeve is displaced against a spring 27, providing the bias aforesaid, and which is here compressed between an internal As here shown, the internall sleeve.

end 28 of sleeve A12 and an interior shoulder 29 provided by wall 13, the interior shoulder 29 cooperating with a core member to define a receiving chamber 32 for the end 14 of section 7. Spring 27 is here in the form of an annular undulated strip ofresilient metal. The internal end 28er" the sleeve is here turned in to form a shoulder for supporting one side of spring 27 and is thus positioned for engagement with the end 14 of section 7 as the sectionsare moved `to attached position, see Figures 6 and 7.

The cylindrical telescopic form of the sections permits the desirable vuse of a plurality of circumferentially spaced ball detents 8 which may be mounted in a plu-l rality of circumferentially spaced openings 17 as seen in Figure 3. VIn keeping with this arrangement, recess 21 `and chamfe recl wall 23 are of annular concentric form with wall 23 disposed to simultaneously engage all ofthe ball detents. As a further feature of the present construction, wall 13 is formedwith a plurality- Core member 311 in section 6 and a similar core member 41 in section 7 carry axially engageable socket-andpin contacts 42 and 43 which slide together on attachment of the sections and in the present construction core member 31 is formed with an annular bead 44 of soft, compressible material which slidably engages the internal periphery of wall 16 to effect a sealing-ott of the contacts in attached position. The core members may be composed of natural or synthetic rubber or of thermoplastic material, providing a film sealed support for the pin-and-socket contacts. For a further description of these parts reference is made to the application of Frederick L. Beebee and Marvin B. Mendelson, Serial No. 556,220, tiled December 29, I1955, for Electrical Connector, now Patent No. 2,892,991. As will be observed from Figure l, the electrical contacts 42-43 extend through their respective core members 31 and 41 and project into end chambers defined by overhanging extremities 46 and 47 of walls 13 and 16, where the contacts may be formed as solder lugs, as here shown, to facilitate the connection of electrical wires 48 thereto. If desired these chambers may also be sealed by lling them with potting compound or by the use of compressible sealing grommets or plug members 51 and 52 which are here shown mounted in the end chambers. The plug members 51-52 are formed with openings arranged to slip over the conductors 48 and are formed for squeezing down upon the conductors by means of clamp nuts 53 and 54 threaded into internally threaded portions of wall portions 46-47. Collars 56 and 57 of peripherally formed smooth plastic material such as nylon may be inserted between the plugs Slt-52 and their clamp nuts 53-54 to aid in compressing the plugs with minimum twisting force transmitted to the wires 48, .This feature of the construction isfurther developed in the aforesaid application Serial No. 556,220.

A variety of number of pins and sockets and pin-andsocket patterns is used in electrical connectors of the present type, and it is mandatory that proper rotative alignment between the sections be always maintained on attachment. This is here arranged to be accomplished by a key 58 formed on the periphery of wall 16 and which is engageable in a key slot 59 formed in wall 13 between one Yof the ball detents 8 and springs 34. The internal sleeve member 12 is here formed with a raised channel 61 which extends into slot 59 and thus forms the keyway for key 58 and also locks the sleeve against relative rotation in wall 13, thus constantly maintaining the several apertures 19 in the sleeve in axial alignment with the several openings 17 in wall v13 for proper registration when the sleeve is moved to its' cocked position, as seen in Figure 6. y

In the construction here illustrated, the section 7 serves as the receptacle portion vof the connector and section 6 the plug portion, and where a xed style of installation is used, such as in a bulkhead'mounting or the like, section 7 is formed kwith a mounting ange 62 for clamping against a chassis bulkhead, wall or the like, by, a-ring nut63 externally threaded on Wall 16. An O-ring 64 ange 62 and nut 63, as depicted in Figure 1, sealing the member 11 in thevdirection' of attachment of the sections from its cocked to its releasedposition` as`above`de` scribed. Sleeve 11 here surrounds wall 13 as a collar andis formed with an inturned shoulder 38 at its internal end which engages shoulder 39 on wall 13 to define' thefsection-locking,terminal positionof the collar 11, as seen in Figures 6 and 7.

unit. With a xed mounting of sectiony 7, separation of the sections is effected by pulling back (in the direction of separation Vol the sections) on collar 11, thus effecting the automatic unlocking of the sections and their separation in a simple, single action as above described. This same section-opening and separation operation of collar 11 makes it ideally suited for lanyard attachment for ballistic and other remote-control applications.

1. In an electrical connector, a receptacle havingan annular wallf andy anfaxially arranged plug receiving end, axially reciprocating and spring biased sleeve members mounted-externally' and internally of said Wall, said Wall having an opening therethrough, a detent mounted for 5 Y movement in said wall opening, said inner sleeve member being biased to a position engaging and supporting said detent in an outwardly displaced position engaging and supporting said outer sleeve member in a cocked position, and said outer sleeve member being biased to move to a position engaging and urging said tent in an inwardly displaced position, the Wall of said inner sleeve member having an opening therein movable therewith into registration with said detent opening to receive said detent therein in a cocked position of said inner sleeve thereby interlocking with said detent in its inwardly displaced position to hold `said inner sleeve in its cocked position, said inner sleeve member wall being of a thickness permitting the projection of said Idetent through said member opening internally of said inner sleeve member for locking a plug inserted therein. t 2

2; An electrical connector receptacle as characterized vby claim l whereinsaid receptacle wall `is formed with a plurality of circumferentially spaced detent openings and a detent is mounted in each and wherein said receptacle Wall is further formed with a plurality of axially elongated rslots positionedv circumferentially between said detent openings, and a plurality of helical springs mounted in said slots and being supported therein by said sleeve members ,and Ibeing connected to said external sleeve member and constituting the spring bias therefor.

3. An electrical connector comprising a receptacle as characterized in claim l and a plug member dmensioned for axial insertion into said inner sleeve member, said plug and inner sleeve member being provided with cooperative means for displacing said inner sleeve member by said plug away from said plug-receiving end and to said cockedv position of said inner sleeve, means provided on the outer periphery of said plug for engaging and interlocking with said detents in the inserted position of said plug and the inwardly displaced position of said detents. v l

References Cited inthe le of this patent` UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,521,701 Bane sept. 12, 195o 20 2,568,516 scheiwer sept. 1s, 1951 2,735,993 Humphrey Feb. 21, 1956 

